Educators and especially art instructors frequently rely on teaching aides to assist them in their teaching tasks. When children and/or handicapped persons are being taught, a well designed and functional teaching aide is especially important. Such an aide not only simplifies and expedites the instructional period but also encourages and helps students to progress and achieve at a faster rate.
Currently available teaching aides vary from simple tracing overlays, to light tables, or as also referred to as shadow boxes, to complex electronic tracing and projecting equipment. In most cases these teaching aides are singularly designed, that is, they are designed to help teach a single artistic task. Thus, to teach several tasks, which can vary from drawing, finger painting, normal and light table tracings and template/block recognition exercises, it may be necessary to procure several individual teaching aides. This procurement is not cost effective and additional space must be allocated for storage.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following U.S. patents were considered related:
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 3,740,872 Mayo 26 June 1973 3,662,077 Kersten 9 May 1972 3,512,273 Baker 19 May 1970 1,920,704 Lorber 1 August 1933 ______________________________________
The Mayo patent discloses an apparatus for teaching individuals how to write. The invention is comprised of a container having a flat surface on which a paper feed mechanism manually passes paper along the container surface. The container also supports a movable sliding member that accommodates a set of blocks. Each block has an opening that defines in script from a different letter of the alphabet. The user places a pencil tip in the opening of each block, and by pressing down on the paper, writes the letter on the paper that is defined by the block(s).
The Kersten patent discloses a device for teaching children writing skills. The device utilizes a magnetic pencil which traces a letter that is externally visable on the face of the device. A steel ball follows the course of the magnetic pencil in tracing the particular letter. The attraction of the ball by the pencil will be lost if the person tracing the letter lets the pencil deviate from the pattern of the letter. If this occurs, the ball falls into a collection box to return to the start of the letter for a second attempt. If the person follows the pattern of the letter to its completion a light is automatically illuminated to indicate a successful attempt.
The Baker patent discloses a teaching device useful for teaching the formation of characters such as letters and geometric shapes. The invention includes a worksheet having in one area, a latent image of a character that is traced onto an overlaying cover by a stylus. The invention has a means associated with the area surrounding the image that prevents the development of the character if the stylus strays from the path of the character. Thus, the latent image may be developed with clear definition only by accurately tracing over the character.
The Lorber patent discloses a tracing chart consisting of a multiplicity of tracing sheets bound together in a covered binder and a chart having characters that are visable through a tracing sheet. To use the invention, the chart is inserted beneath the upper tracing sheet and the characters on the chart are traced on the sheet. After the sheet is used, it may be torn out or folded back against the front cover of the binder if a permanent record is desired.